


Snow Days

by StephirothWasTaken



Series: Steph's 25 Days of Christmas Fics Challenge [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Child Prompto Argentum, Disabled Character, Family Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hot Chocolate, M/M, No Magic No Kindgom AU, Paraplegia, Slice of Life, Snow Day, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, dad cor leonis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-17 22:16:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21650647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StephirothWasTaken/pseuds/StephirothWasTaken
Summary: 1. Cor looks out his window and finds that they are snowed in. Now he gets to spend the day with his little boy Prompto.2. With his mother sick in the hospital and his father practically absent from his life, Gladio is not feeling so happy this holiday, and Cor tries to fix it with hot chocolate.3. Ignis is a little much for Cor to handle.4. The CorNyx story that turned into an everybody story.A small collection of short stories of the chocobros' snow days from Cor's perspective.
Relationships: Clarus Amicitia & Cor Leonis, Cor Leonis & Ignis Scientia, Cor Leonis & Noctis Lucis Caelum, Cor Leonis & Regis Lucis Caelum, Cor Leonis/Nyx Ulric, Gladiolus Amicitia & Cor Leonis, Iris Amicitia & Cor Leonis, Prompto Argentum & Cor Leonis
Series: Steph's 25 Days of Christmas Fics Challenge [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559509
Comments: 16
Kudos: 66





	1. Snowed In

**Author's Note:**

> Not much plot happening here. Just a little cuteness.

Cor had expected to see a foot of snow at most, but when he looked outside, he saw his six-foot-tall neighbor struggling to walk through waist-deep snow to get to his garage. It was still snowing, and the wind was fiercer than he had expected, threatening to topple the poor man on top of smothering him.

The weather lady had predicted snow, but it had been nothing like this.

With a sigh, Cor left behind his burbling coffee machine to turn on the TV in the living room. It was a school day, so Cor had been the last one to use the TV. A different weather lady was on screen now, telling him everything he was seeing outside or how much worse it would get. There was a list of all the public places that were closed because of the weather, and he watched that list flash by until he saw his son’s preschool was canceled for the rest of the week.

Cor shut off the TV so he would not have to hear the lady drone on about the surprise snowstorm anymore, and he grabbed the house phone and typed in his boss’s personal phone number. He went back into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee as he waited for an answer.

It took three tries before he heard the sleep-roughened voice of Regis Lucis Caelum:

“Cor? Did something happen?”

“We had a blizzard come through.”

“A blizzard? Really?”

There was some shuffling and some cursing as Regis walked around with a tender knee.

“Oh, Shiva’s tits.”

“Bit more than we expected.”

“This explains why my knee swelled up so much.”

Cor remembered that long and grueling battle that gave Regis his messed up knee. He gulped his scalding hot coffee to help distract himself from thoughts of blood and the deafening sounds of war.

“Preschool is canceled,” Cor said, “so you don’t have to worry about taking Noctis there.”

“He’ll be more than happy to sleep in, which you should be doing right about now, you insomniac.”

“Already made my morning coffee.”

“I suppose you’re calling to make sure work gets canceled.”

“Neither of us is getting through this to go anywhere right now.”

“That’s true,” Regis sighed. “I’ll have to make a few calls, and I’ll definitely need to tell Clarus. He’s the only man I know who’s crazy enough to try driving through this mess.”

“Tell him I said, ‘Hi.’”

“Tell him yourself. You’re antisocial enough. How’s Prompto?”

“Sleeping.”

“Like we should be.”

“Some of us are morning people.”

Regis scoffed, and Cor smirked despite being alone in the room.

“I should make those calls so I can get back to sleep quickly,” Regis said. “Please enjoy your day with Prompto.”

“And you have a good day with Noctis.”

Cor placed the phone back into its cradle, and he turned to the clock on the wall. He had a few hours until Prompto woke up, so he had plenty of extra time to kill. After topping off his coffee, he went into his bedroom.

The room was small, smaller than Prompto’s but by only a few square feet, and it was also much tidier. An open textbook and a pad of paper on his desk were the most disorganized things in the room.

He sat at the desk to spend some extra time studying for his business classes that he was taking besides being Regis’s overworked bodyguard and a new father.

While sipping two more cups of coffee, Cor reviewed his current lesson and old lessons, and he got to work on the next lessons in the syllabus.

Then, Cor heard sniffling, the first sign that his little boy was awake. He closed his textbook, using the notebook as his bookmark, and he went to Prompto’s room, giving the door a light tap with his knuckles.

“You awake, buddy?” Cor asked, keeping his voice soft.

“Daddy?” came his soft little voice.

Prompto had been raised in an orphanage in Tenebrae. He had grown up speaking the native tongue, and now that he was in Insomnia he was picking up a new language. It was difficult for him sometimes because most people misunderstood him, but he was picking it up quickly enough.

Thanks to the volunteers at the orphanage, the first Insomnian word he had learned was “Daddy,” and the one little word was enough to bring a warmth to his body, which he had once thought would never feel warm again.

“Can I come in?” Cor asked.

“Yes.”

Cor opened the door. Toys covered his play mat, and he quirked an eyebrow at them, recalling that he had told Prompto to clean them up before bed. He looked at Prompto, a small little boy with wild blond hair forming a crown on his head. His sky-blue eyes blinked the sleepiness out of them as he sat up in his little bed, which was a big yellow chocobo-shaped monstrosity.

“Good morning, Prompto,” Cor said.

“Good morning, Daddy,” Prompto said, over-enunciating the words because that was what the preschool had taught him to do, and he gave him a sleepy smile.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“School?”

“School is canceled.”

“Can—can—”

“Canceled. It means you don’t have to go for a while.”

“Why?”

“Come on, and I’ll show you.”

Cor held out his hand, and Prompto slid off his bed. The bottom of his onesies squeaked against the play mat. He held out his little hands, and Cor lifted him onto his hip. They went into the kitchen together, and they watched their poor neighbor continuing to struggle in the snow.

At least his son had come out to help him.

“[ _Neige_ ]!” Prompto said, pointing out the window. “Snow!”

“Lots of snow. We’re not so used to this much down here, so everything’s shutting down for now.”

“Play?”

“You want to play out there?”

“Yes, yes!”

“We’ll let the wind die down first, and then I’ll think about it, okay?”

Prompto pouted at Cor.

“Okay.”

“What do you want for breakfast?”

“Break—breakfast. Oh, food?”

“Yes, buddy, food. What do you want to eat?”

Cor rattled off a list of the things he was sure that he had remembered to buy on his last shopping trip.

“Pay-cakes!” Prompto exclaimed.

“That I can do.”

Prompto insisted on staying in Cor’s arms, resting his head on his shoulder as he watched his father try to do everything one-handed. He poured himself another cup of coffee as he waited for the pancakes to cook.

“Coffee?” Prompto said as he pointed at his mug.

“Do you want to try some?”

“Yes.”

The coffee had cooled considerably while he had been studying, so he knew the temperature was just right as he raised his cup to Prompto’s mouth. He grimaced at the flavor, and Cor chuckled.

“Too bitter, huh?”

“ _Ick_.”

“You might like it better with milk and sugar. I’ll let you try some later.”

Prompto did not look convinced that he wanted to, but he offered no argument about it. He did at least enjoy the pancakes once Cor had him in his booster seat to eat them, and he became a sticky mess by the time he was finished. Cor wiped him down with a wet rag.

“Do you want to pick out some new clothes for you to wear?” Cor asked once the boy was clean of maple syrup.

“Yes!”

Prompto ran to his room to dig through his dresser. Cor passed his room to prepare the washing machine for washing the laundry, he heard Prompto humming a song he had learned while in the orphanage in Tenebrae. Cor had no idea what he was saying; Prompto was also unable to translate it, but he always hummed it when he was happy.

“Daddy?” Prompto called to him from a different room.

“I’m in the laundry room, and bring your clothes with you.”

Prompto rushed into the laundry room, holding his pajamas in his hands. He wore the most brightly colored clothes he had in his dresser drawers: a bright yellow shirt with a cartoonish chocobo face, a bright green pair of pants, and moogle slippers. It was atrocious in the most adorable way possible.

Cor ruffled his wild curls as Prompto showed off his outfit to him.

“Excellent fashion sense, buddy.”

Prompto giggled as he leaned into Cor’s side, giving him a bright smile. Cor’s heart clenched at the deep trust in the boy’s eyes, and he wondered if he would ever feel like he deserved it.

“What do you want to do today, buddy?” he asked, and he brushed his fingers through the curls to help straighten them.

“Play?” Prompto suggested, eyes somehow turning even brighter. “With Noctis?”

“There’s a storm outside. We can’t go anywhere.”

“Stowm?”

“Yeah, a snowstorm.”

“Oh.”

Prompto pouted. He liked doing two things more than anything in this world, and both of them usually involved Noctis. Cor might have felt jealous if he didn’t realize how busy his days could get.

“We can watch that show you like so much?” Cor suggested. “I can make you some hot chocolate, and we can sit down and watch it together. How does that sound?”

Prompto hopped in place, and he grinned at Cor.

“Yes, yes!”

“Great.”

“Pick me up?”

Cor lifted the boy onto his hip, and Prompto rested his little head on his shoulder.

Clarus had told him several times that holding the boy every time he asked was encouraging bad habits, but what Clarus did not understand was that he had gotten to hold his son while he had been an infant. Prompto had been stuck in an orphanage where people had to take care of hundreds of other children. Although Cor had rescued him when he was just a few days old, he had not gotten to hold him in his arms until he was just a few months away from turning four.

They had a lot of catching up to do.

Once he got the washing machine going, he went into the kitchen to prepare himself one last cup of coffee and a cup of luke-warm chocolate for Prompto’s sippy cup. He took him into the living room, and he only set Prompto on the ground to wrap him up in a plush but absorbent blanket. Regis had just bought him a new couch, and he did not want poor Prompto to pee all over it whenever he inevitably fell asleep.

Prompto hopped up on the couch, and he sipped his chocolate drink as Cor grabbed a DVD of the show he was always watching over and over again with Noctis. Once the DVD was in the player, Cor joined his son on the couch. The little boy pressed himself against Cor’s side, and Cor wrapped an arm around his tiny body.

“Are you comfy?” Cor asked.

“Yes.”

Cor grabbed the DVD player remote, and he started the silly kids’ show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be other parts using this prompt, but there will be some time in between each of them.
> 
> Also, does anyone else remember when they had Cor’s birthday up on the Wiki? It’s not on there now, and didn’t it used to say Dec. 6th? I don’t quite remember the date, except that it was around my mother’s birthday, but I don’t think I’m crazy for remembering that his birthday used to be on there. Anyway, I do have a birthday fic planned, and it would be nice if I knew it was going up on the right day.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! And let me know what you think! Comments, whether praise or criticism, kudos, and subscriptions are all deeply appreciated.


	2. Hot Chocolate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gladio’s going through some stuff in this, so he’s a sad boy.
> 
> Also, the house is in Cape Caem, but it’s not laid out the same way as the one in the game.

Prompto took a snowball to the face, and he ran away laughing, ducking behind a parked car. Cor shook his head as he watched Prompto and Noctis, both now five years old, laughing and squealing as they darted from car to car, pelting each other with snowballs. Cor and Regis watched their two five-year-old boys playing from inside the enormous Lucis Caelum manor.

"Ah, youth," Regis said as the two boys tackled each other. "What I wouldn't give to have that level of energy again."

They had gone to Regis’s favorite vacation home in Cape Caem. It was smaller than the Manor inside Insomnia, and it was more remote, allowing them to have fewer security guards around. Regis had meant for it to be a weekend escape, but sudden snowfall had extended their trip a couple of more days.

Two of them were happy about it at least.

"They've been at it for an hour," Cor said. "They'll come in shivering any minute now."

"Yes, shame they couldn't get poor Gladiolus to join them. He would have tired them out quicker."

Gladio was at the house as well, but he was so much more withdrawn from everyone else than they were used to. He used to like being rowdy and roughhousing with anyone who would let him, but these days he was quiet and preferred spending time by myself. With his parents fighting and his mother sickly after giving birth to a collicky little girl, no one could blame him for the behavior, but they still hoped he would come out of his shell some day.

He was only eight years old, and he was dealing with so much more than he should have been.

“Everyone will be wanting hot chocolate soon,” Cor said.

“Well, I certainly wouldn't say ‘no.’”

“Chocolate fiend. I’ll go make it.”

“I’ll watch over the boys.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Cor went into the kitchen, and he searched for the stash of chocolate in the higher cabinets. If it was just him and Prompto, he would have preferred to use the powdered chocolate with milk and water heated up in the microwave, but with the two spoiled Lucis Caelums, he would have to the more time-consuming—and too sweet—version.

By the time Cor was pouring the rich mixture into mugs, he could hear Prompto and Noctis’s laughter echoing through the halls of the big house. He put whipped cream and marshmallows on top of the hot chocolate without worrying about making it look pretty, and then he carried the drinks on a tray to the living room.

Prompto and Noctis were huddled together in front of the fireplace, talking about the dirty tricks that they had pulled on each other outside. Regis lounged on the couch, propping up his swollen knee. The older man’s eyes lit up brighter than the sun at the promise of chocolate.

“I come bearing sugar,” Cor announced as he set the tray on the coffee table.

Noctis went straight for a mug, eyes lighting up as brightly as his father's. Prompto first threw himself at Cor for a hug, and he gave a cheerful “Thank you” as he reached for his own mug.

“Be polite, Noctis,” Regis scolded.

“Thank you, Uncle Cor!”

“Thank you, Cor.”

“Whatever. I’ll bring some up to Gladio.”

“Ah, yes, I'm sure he would appreciate it.”

Cor left the main room with a mug of chocolate, leaving none for himself because he did not like sweets, and he went upstairs, turning down the hall for the guest bedrooms.

Normally the boys would insist on staying in Noctis's room, but since Regis had taken him in after all of the drama in his life, Gladio had asked to be placed into a bedroom separate from Noctis's. The younger boy had seemed hurt, and Regis had had to take him aside to explain that Gladio was not in the best of situations at the moment. He required reassurances that he had plenty of people who loved him and space to help him come to terms with everything.

Cor knocked on the door, and there was a quiet "Come in" from the other side of the door. He opened the door just enough for him to stick his head through, and Gladio looked up from an old book of poems from Regis’s library. His amber eyes looked so tired, and Cor hoped he has been getting enough sleep.

"Hey, kid.”

“Hi, Uncle Cor.”

“I made some hot chocolate. I thought I would bring you some.”

Gladio’s eyebrows rose, and he sat upright. He tucked a bookmark in the book, and he set it aside.

“Oh, that’s— Thank you.”

Cor handed him the mug, and he lingered near the doorway as Glaido took a sip from the drink.

“Are you doing okay up here?” Cor asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“It’s not lonely or anything?”

“No, I like the quiet.”

“You can come downstairs any time you like, you know. Noctis and Prompto miss hanging out with you.”

Gladio’s face darkened as he shifted his eyes downward. An ache swelled in Cor’s chest. He took a seat across from Gladio.

“I know you’re worried about your mom. We all are, buddy, but she’ll pull through. The doctors said she’s doing fine.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“And your dad has practically disappeared on all of us. I’m sure you’re a little mad at him, huh?”

“Mad at him?”

“It’s okay if you’re mad, buddy. No one would blame you. Hell, I’m mad at him.”

Gladio’s hands tightened around his mug.

“I’m not mad at him. Mom is mad at him, but I’m not mad at him.”

Cor only nodded. He had no idea what he could say to him. Regis had always been better at talking, and he was a genius at talking to kids in comparison to Cor.

Gladio glanced up at Cor, and there were tears glistening in his eyes.

"Isn’t he mad at me? He was so scary before Mom made me leave the house.”

Cor shook his head, and he rested a hand on Gladio’s shoulder.

“No one’s mad at you, Gladio. Your mom and dad are mad at each other, and they’re unfairly thrown you in the middle. It’s not anything you’ve done.”

“But— But—”

“I promise you that your mom and dad are upset with themselves right now because they know they’re putting you in a tough spot. Regis and I asked you to come along with us because we were hoping to get your mind off things, but I know it’s tough to be happy when everything is falling apart around you. No one is mad at you for anything, Gladio. We all want you to be happy.”

The tears in Gladio’s eyes slipped down his cheeks, and his lip trembled. He leaned into Cor’s touch.

“Does it make me a bad person that I’m kind of glad that Mama and I left?” Gladio said, voice thick with tears.

“You said he scared you, right? I would be glad to be away from someone who scared me.”

Gladio gave a humorless huff of laughter.

“You’re Cor the Immortal. You’re not scared of everything.”

Cor bristled at the nickname, at the reminder of all the battles he survived that he had had little right to, but he forced a smile on his face and gave Gladio’s shoulder a pat.

“I didn’t earn that nickname because I’m not afraid of anything,” he said. “I was scared of everything.”

Gladio’s eyebrows flew up to his hairline.

“No,” he said.

“It’s true. I was scared of messing up and getting someone killed. I was scared of dying. I was scared of getting injured and going home. Being scared is normal, and I wish I had had someone to protect me from all of that.”

Gladio’s shoulders sagged.

“So you’re saying I’m lucky, and that I should stop being a baby.”

“I fought in that war so that kids would have the right to be a kid. Your parents are messing that up for you, and it pisses me off.”

Gladio gave another humorless huff.

“You probably came upstairs to try to convince me to go downstairs, didn’t you, Uncle Cor?”

“I wanted to check on you, but if you happen to want to come downstairs and spend time with us, then I am more than happy to take credit for it.”

The smile on Gladio’s face seemed more genuine. He stood without spilling his hot chocolate.

“Yeah, I’ll come down,” he said.

Cor gave the boy a gentle pat on the head.

“Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this AU, Gladio ends up spending more time with Cor than he does Regis or even his own father, so he grows up close to Cor and Prompto. Also, Clarus has alcoholism.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	3. Cookies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m a day late this one. I apologize. Coming up with enough ideas for 25 days has proven quite difficult.
> 
> Everyone's pretty messed up in this AU, and sometimes I can't help myself but to write about it even when I'm supposed to be making cute, fluffy stuff.
> 
> Although I do find this a tiny bit funny.

Cor had expected to wake up to chatter or even squeals when he agreed to let Ignis spend the night—it not been a matter of choice because huge amounts of snow had struck the city—but Cor sometimes forgot that Ignis was not a normal kid. He was not one to rough house or get boisterous when he was excited because his childhood had not been normal in any capacity. Instead of waking to the sound of a boy too full of energy, he woke to the sound of someone scrubbing the dishes.

Cor looked at the clock near his bed. It was just after 3 o’clock. Sighing, he got out of bed, and he put on a T-shirt before making his way to the kitchen, where he found not only a ten-year-old cleaning a baking sheet but enough cookies for a busy baking shop to sell in a day. Cookies sat on plates and wax paper on nearly every surface in the kitchen, and some had already been packed away in old tins and plastic containers.

Ignis turned to him with a spot of flour on his cheek, and he pushed up his glasses with his shoulder. There were dark circles under his eyes despite his being so young.

“Good morning, Uncle Cor,” he said.

“Good morning, Ignis. I see you’ve been busy.”

Ignis grimaced. He reached for a towel to dry off his hands.

“Yes, I apologize for all of this. I couldn’t sleep, and I like to keep myself busy. I usually clean, but your house is much smaller than Uncle Ventus’s. Besides that, running the vacuum so early would have been rude because I know you’re a light sleeper.”

“So you baked cookies instead.”

“I did. It was rather cold, and baking can help warm up a house. I’m afraid I’ve used up all of your flour. I apologize.”

“That’s okay. I didn’t have any plans with it. Who exactly are you baking for?”

“Everyone, I suppose.”

“That’s kind of you. I’m sure everyone would appreciate having cookies for the holidays.”

There was an awkward silence between them as Cor took in all the cookies around the kitchen. He was well aware of Ignis’s anxiety issues. Insomnia has been plaguing him for a long time, and with Ventus catching a nasty case of the flu while Ignis was stuck at someone else’s house, it was no wonder he was having trouble with it again.

Ignis cleared his throat, and he went back to the sink to finish washing the baking sheet.

“I’ll just finish cleaning my mess here.”

“Hey, Iggy, how long have you been up, exactly?”

“I never managed to sleep, and I gave up trying at midnight.”

Cor was known for getting up early himself, but that was too early even for him.

“Why don’t you go back to bed?” Cor suggested. “I’ll finish cleaning up here. You’ve really outdone yourself.”

“Oh, that’s not necessary. It’s my mess.”

“No, it’s okay, buddy. You already did a lot today, so it’s time for a break, don’t you think?”

Ignis’s eyebrows came together, and he looked remorseful as he looked at the baking sheets he had yet to clean. Then he looked at the cookies around the kitchen. Cor rested his hand on top of his head, smiling.

“Your uncle usually makes you tea when you can’t sleep, doesn’t he?” Cor asked. “I don’t know what kind you guys usually have, but I have some chamomile I could make for you. Do you think that would help?”

“I could make it myself, Uncle Cor. I’ve already made myself a bit of a nuisance.”

“Ignis, you’re not a nuisance, and besides that, I’ve given you free use of my kitchen. Now, though, let’s just focus on helping you get some rest, okay?”

The poor boy pushed his glasses up his nose. He looked like he had so much he wanted to say to Cor, but he only said:

“All right.”

“Let’s get you back to bed, first,” Cor said, and he led the way out of the kitchen.

“I don’t want to bother, Prompto. He doesn’t sleep as soundly as Noctis.”

“I don’t think he’ll mind.”

Prompto had woken several times in the middle of the night to Cor having nightmares, and the kid had never complained once.

“Still,” Ignis added, “perhaps sleeping on the couch would be better. It’s plenty comfortable, and I can use a mask to help block out the light.”

“If that’ll make you feel better. There are some spare blankets in the linen closet. I’ll get them for you, and then I’ll make your tea. And no arguments,” Cor added. “It’s no trouble.”

Ignis went into the living room, and Cor went to the linen closet near his and Prompto’s room. He grabbed a spare pillow and several blankets because the boy had been right when he had said it was cold. Cor made a mental note to raise the temperature on the furnace before he went to bed.

“Thank you,” Ignis said as he accepted the bedding.

Cor hated to leave him alone in the room, but the kid needed _rest_ , something he so rarely got despite everyone’s best efforts.

He went back into the kitchen to fill up an electric kettle to prepare tea not just for Ignis but himself, and he washed the remaining dishes as he waited for the water to finish boiling. Once it did, he went to work on finding enough containers to hold all the cookies that Ignis had made. There were not quite enough, and he ended up leaving some on plates and wrapping them with plastic wrap.

Cor was already feeling the need for sleep again by the time he carried the mugs into the living room, where a droopy-eyed Ignis was lying on the couch.

“Be careful. It’s hot,” Cor said—because he was used to giving Prompto tea instead of the mature-beyond-his-years Ignis Scientia.

“Thank you, Uncle Cor.”

The chamomile tea was nothing special. Cor was more of a coffee person, and Prompto was not picky about anything. Ignis made no complaints about it as he sipped, but Cor knew it was against his nature to do so.

“Sorry it’s not anything fancy, buddy,” Cor said, “but I hope it gets the job done.”

“It’s lovely. The tea Uncle Ventus gives me tastes like sweaty socks. This is much better.”

Cor chuckled.

“Please don’t tell him that,” Ignis added. “He tries hard to be a good parent to me, and I don’t want to break his heart.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

“You are very reliable. Ventus says that about you all the time.”

“He says I’m reliable?”

“Yes, he said you work hard, and you let Uncle Regis work you too hard.”

“Perhaps he should tell Regis that.”

Ignis yawned in between sips of his tea, and Cor was relieved to see this kid was finally relaxing.

“What other kinds of stuff does your uncle do when you can’t sleep?” Cor asked.

The poor kid sleepily rambled about things his uncle sometimes did for him, and not all of it was related to sleep. He finished his tea, and Cor was glad that he could barely hold his eyes open. Cor took his mug from him, and he made sure that the blankets were tucked around Ignis.

“Good night, buddy,” Cor said.

“Good night, Uncle Cor,” Ignis yawned.

Cor set their mugs in the kitchen sink, and then he went to bed himself.

* * *

Cor heard the shuffling of feet over vinyl floor, and he glanced up from his laptop to find Prompto, his blond hair a messy halo about his head, walking into the room, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Good morning, Dad,” Prompto mumbled.

“Good morning, Prompto.”

“Why is Iggy sleeping on the couch?”

“He was having trouble going to sleep, and he was afraid of waking you up.”

“Oh.”

Prompto shuffled his way to the refrigerator, and he pulled out the jug of juice. He carried it with him to the counter, and then he paused as he noticed the cookies piled onto plates.

“Where did these cookies from?” he asked.

“Ignis made them last night.”

“Really?”

“He likes to keep himself busy when he can’t sleep, apparently.”

There was a long pause, and Cor turned to him with a frown.

“Can I have some?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah, you can have some.”

“For breakfast?”

Cor leaned back in his chair, and he chuckled.

“You know what? Sure, but don’t expect this all the time. It’s not good for you.”

“Okay.”

Prompto took his jug of juice back into the refrigerator, and he grabbed the milk instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve had issues with insomnia for as long as I can remember, and I wish I could say I was as productive as Ignis in this.  
> And valerian root tastes awful. Some have described its taste as “sweaty socks.”
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to write one focusing on Noctis, but then I realized one problem: Regis totally dotes on his son, and Cor would have less of a chance to have to coax Noctis into a better mood. I went for a CorNyx thing instead, but it became an everybody.
> 
> Just for some context, this one takes place before the Egg Hunt one I wrote earlier this year. Gladio's mother has since passed away since the last chapter, and Clarus has gone to rehab and is doing better. Although his relationship with his son is unfortunately turbulent. Noctis has also gotten into a terrible accident that left him paraplegic. It's been over a year since that accident, but this is the first Christmas Noctis is actively participating in.
> 
> Also, Ignis has been through some stuff that I haven't addressed in these fics at all.

Cor looked over at Nyx in the front passenger seat. The Galahdian man was fidgeting, shifting his butt in his seat and tugging on his beaded braids. It was unusual for him to be nervous, but because he was about to see a personal hero of his--one he had already met but had only come to admire even more—he wanted to leave a good impression with the man.

Smirking about Nyx, Cor glanced in his rear-view mirror, and he found Prompto sitting in the back seat, staring out his window. There was a slight smile on his face as he bobbed his head along to the music playing over the radio.

Cor wondered how Prompto felt about Nyx. He was used to Cor bringing home boyfriends every once in a while, but eventually, he learned to be indifferent to them because they never stuck around for long. Prompto might have been thinking it would be the same for Nyx, and regardless of how long his relationship with Nyx lasted, he planned on leaving the dating scene behind—or at the very least slowing down.

The two of them got along well enough at least.

Nyx gave the Lucis Caelum Manor a look of fear when it finally came into view. It was heavily decorated with every color string lights. There were a few majestic reindeer that dipped their heads towards the ground, and there were far too many Santas and snowmen. Christmas music was playing, and Cor wondered how in Eos no one has managed to assassinate Regis Lucis Caelum yet.

“Is _that_ their house?” Nyx asked, having never been to the Manor before.

“That tacky monstrosity?” Cor clarified. “Yes, that is indeed the home of the Lucis Caelums.”

Nyx snorted, but he stared at the house with fascination.

“It’s huge,” he said.

Cor parked the car behind what looked like Clarus’s vehicle. He grabbed the bags of wrapped presents from the trunk of the car before he headed inside. Nyx lingered behind to stall meeting his childhood hero again. Prompto rushed ahead.

“Slow down, Prompto,” Cor reprimanded. “You’ll fall and hurt yourself.”

“Sorry, Dad!” Prompto said without slowing down at all.

Cor sighed, and Nyx chuckled from behind him.

“You’ve only known him for a few months,” Cor said, “and he’s already listening to me about as well as you do.”

“Which is seldom.”

“Yeah.”

Nyx chuckled. He caught up to Cor, and he took half the burden of the presents from Cor.

It was a long way to the front door of the Manor. Prompto arrived there first, bouncing on his heels as he waited for the two adults to arrive and open the door for him. Cor had a key that allowed him to come into the large building at any time he pleased, and as soon as he got the door open, Prompto burst into the house.

“They’re in the family room, Prompto,” Cor called. “Don’t get lost.”

“I won’t get lost, Dad!” Prompto called back. “I’ve been here lots of times!”

“By the Six.”

Cor turned to Nyx, who was looking around the front lobby like he had stepped into some wondrous museum full of ancient artifacts.

Actually, that was exactly what he had stepped into, now that Cor thought about it.

Cor chuckled, startling Nyx, and the younger man turned to him, eyes wide.

“Sorry,” he said, breathless, “I just remember seeing all of this stuff in textbooks, and there are replicas in museums. This is all the real stuff, isn’t it?”

“Some of it,” Clarus said as he strolled into the room, startling the both of them, and he smirked at them. “Reggie broke that vase over there, and Mors—that’s his dad—had to commission a replica. And that painting right there—the one with the Astrals dancing—Mors ripped a hole right through it as a kid. Nobody noticed it for a week.”

“Oh” was all Nyx said because the poor man sometimes forgot that Cor was friends with _two_ of the most famous families in all of Eos.

Clarus gave a hearty laugh as he forced Cor into a spine-crushing bear hug, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

“This is why I hate you, Clarus,” Cor said

“Merry Christmas to you, too, kiddo.”

Clarus set Cor back onto the ground, and he turned to Nyx with a grin. The younger man’s face went from awe to fear, and he took a step back as Clarus bounded after him, grabbing him into a bear hug with a hearty laugh.

“Nyx Ulric, you’re part of the family now, so there’s no hiding from Amicitia hugs.”

When Clarus set him back onto the ground, Nyx stumbled back a few steps, and he gave a humorless chuckle.

“It’s a little early to say that, Clarus, don’t you think?” Cor protested.

“Well, if not for him, we might not have our little Noctis with us, so he would be part of the family even if you weren’t nailing him.”

Cor felt his face burst into flames, and he stormed toward the family room, leaving poor Nyx to answer Clarus’s questions about his lack of experience celebrating Christmas.

The family room was a slightly more tasteful mess. With a huge tree in the center of the room and nice white string lights throughout the room. There were stockings for each of the children hanging near the fireplace, where there was a real fire blazing.

Prompto was already sitting near the fire next to Noctis, who sat in a wheelchair. Carbuncle’s white tail was the only part of the cat that Cor could see from his perspective, and Cor assumed he was happy sitting in Noctis’s lap. Ignis, as had become expected of him, hovered right next to Noctis. Gladio was sitting across the room, helping his little sister Iris with something.

“Cor!” Regis said, sounding so cheerful. “There you are! Oh! You’ve finally brought Nyx along! I thought for sure you were going to try hiding him from us forever!”

Regis was lounging on the couch, his knee propped up on a pillow to help with the swelling. Ignis’s aunt and uncle Ventus sat next to him. All of them held a mug of something in their hand, and judging by the spot of whipped cream stuck to Regis’s beard, it was hot chocolate, something completely non-alcoholic in support of Clarus’s sobriety.

“Uncle Cor!” Iris exclaimed as she rushed up to him, crashing into his legs. “I got a new dress!”

Cor chuckled as she spun to show off her red plaid dress and the striped ribbon in her hair. He set down the bag of presents, and he laughed as picked up the five-year-old.

“You look beautiful,” Cor said.

“I know!”

Iris wrapped her little arms around his neck and planted a kiss to his cheek before he set her down. She moved on to twirl her dress for Nyx because no one was a stranger to that girl.

At thirteen, Gladio was taller than anyone else his age. Cor and Regis liked to tease Clarus that his son was going to be taller than him someday, but Clarus would always beam at them with pride.

“Hey, uncle Cor,” Gladio said with far less enthusiasm than both his father and his sister had shown, but he still gave Cor a strong hug before he greeted Nyx.

At Regis’s suggestion, Gladio took the presents to the tree so they could be opened later.

“Noctis, my boy!” Regis called, motioning for the boys huddled near the fire to come up to him. “Come say hello! And Ignis, too!”

Ignis took up the task of pushing Noctis through the room. Carbuncle lounged on Noctis’s lap, not even opening his eyes at anything that was going on in the room. Noctis looked glum, but the fact that he was sitting in the family room with them was already a relief to see. The incident that had taken the use of his legs from him had unsurprisingly left him a quiet and withdrawn boy.

“Uncle Cor. Nyx,” Ignis said, nodding to each of the older men. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Hey, Uncle Cor,” Noctis said, giving them a wave. “Hey, Nyx.”

“Yeah, and you’re Ignis, right?” Nyx said, holding out his hand to the bespectacled boy.

“Yes, sir, I am.”

“Uh, Nyx is fine. No one really—I mean, in Galahd we didn’t really use terms like that.”

Nyx crouched in front of Noctis, and he scratched Carbuncle on the ears. The cat rolled onto his back, cracking an eye open.

“Hey, buddy,” he said. “I used to feed you scraps behind my house, remember?”

“Oh, yeah, Dad said we got him from you,” Noctis said, giving a subtle smile as he buried his fingers into the cat’s fur. “I’m sorry we took your cat away.”

“Nah, he looks way happier now, and look at how big he’s gotten. You’re obviously taking better care of him than I was.”

Nyx gave the cat a gentle pat, and he stood.

“Nyx, why don’t you sit down!” Regis called as he patted the spot next to him on the couch. “I was just wondering about your bar earlier today, but your damned boyfriend won’t tell me _anything_ about it.”

Nyx, who looked at Regis like he was the sun that the entire world orbited, rushed to fill the empty spot, and he told Regis all about the bar he was putting together with his friends.

Cor sighed. He could not wait for the day that Nyx realized that Regis was the biggest loser on the planet, despite all of his money.

Ignis and Noctis were still awkwardly sitting next to him. Cor crouched in front of Noctis. He gave Carbuncle a good scratch on his chin.

“Are you doing okay, Noctis?” he asked.

“Yeah” was all the boy said.

“And you Ignis?”

“Perfectly fine, Uncle.”

Cor nodded. He worried about both of them. With Ignis being overly attentive to Noctis, Ventus had put his poor nephew into therapy, and even though Noctis was getting better and better at putting on a brave face, he was still angry and sad about his new disability. No one could blame him for it, but he was not venting any of his frustrations out on anyone. It made them even more worried about him.

Iris let out a high-pitched squeal.

Everyone turned to her, heart stuttering. Iris was standing next to the window, and she hopped on her feet as she pointed outside. Fat snowflakes were drifting onto the ground. It looked like some of it was sticking in some places.

“Look, everyone!” she exclaimed. “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!”

“Oh, look at that!” Clarus said as he went to scoop up his excitable daughter into his arms.

“Oh, man! I hope it snows so much they cancel school tomorrow!” Prompto said as he ran up to the window to take a look for himself.

They all paused to watch the snow as it fell.

Cor really hoped it didn’t snow so much they would be stuck there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been sitting on this AU for far too long without writing any of the main stories I've had planned, so if you need help with any context I accidentally left out, let me now!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! And let me know what you think! Comments, whether praise or criticism, kudos, and subscriptions are all deeply appreciated and give me motivation to keep going even when I’m really struggling to stay focused.


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